Sidney Webb (1859–1947)
Author of Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation
About the Author
Sidney and Beatrice Webb, English labor historians and social reformers, were a remarkable couple who had a profound influence on the social thought and political institutions of Great Britain. Their work was largely responsible for the popularity of the Fabian socialists and the repeal of the show more dreaded British poor laws; it also promoted widespread activities on behalf of the British labor movement and inspired key parts of the British Labor party's social program. The Webbs published some 45 books and numerous pamphlets, and founded the influential weekly, New Statesman. Beatrice, born to a wealthy London family with extensive business dealings, saw the Industrial Revolution and its political aftermath as a chapter of her family history. To prepare for an early article describing working-class poverty in London, she took tailoring lessons so that she could pose as a "plain trouser hand" to get a firsthand view of the sweatshop industry of the period. Sidney's concern for the labor movement grew out of his early interest in socialism. The Fabian Society, which he joined, was founded in 1884 and named after the Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator, known as "the delayer" because of his holding tactics. The Fabians believed that socialism would develop in a democratic society by peaceful and evolutionary means rather than by revolution, as predicted by Karl Marx. By the time of their marriage in 1892, Sidney and Beatrice were intensely committed to the study of the trade union movement; they spent part of their honeymoon in Dublin in order to review the records of Irish trade societies. The result of their efforts was the History of Trade Unionism (1894), which virtually marked the beginning of the academic study of labor and industrial relations. It was followed by Industrial Democracy (1897), which portrayed unions as beneficial to the industrial movement because they established minimum working standards that would lead to the eventual well-being of society. Both works provided a history and rationale for the British labor movement---something that had been virtually ignored by academics up to that time. Other books dealt with English local government, the poor laws, the cooperative movement, and a broad range of labor issues. The Webbs believed strongly that facts alone would be sufficient to reveal the truth, and that socialism would evolve if the truth were known. This belief led them to establish the London School of Economics, which has no restrictions on the doctrinal purity of staff or faculty. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: George Grantham Bain Collection,
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division,
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ggbain-36741
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division,
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ggbain-36741
Series
Works by Sidney Webb
The Manor and the Borough. Part II 3 copies
Socialism and individualism 3 copies
Towards a Social Democracy? A Study of Social Evolution During the Past Three-Quarters of a Century 2 copies
Industrial Democracy 2 vols 2 copies
The London Programme 2 copies
Works of 6 vols. 1 copy
The break-up of the poor law; being parts 1-2 of the minority report of the Poor Law Commission, with introduction… (2014) 1 copy
Seasonal Trades 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Webb, Sidney
- Other names
- Baron Passfield
- Birthdate
- 1859-07-13
- Date of death
- 1947-10-13
- Burial location
- Westminster Abbey, London, England, UK
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Place of death
- Liphook, Hampshire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Liphook, Hampshire, England, UK - Education
- University of London
King's College, London - Occupations
- economist
socialist
social reformer
Member of Parliament
Colonial Secretary - Relationships
- Webb, Beatrice (wife)
- Organizations
- Fabian Society
London School of Economics - Awards and honors
- Life Peerage
- Short biography
- Sidney Webb worked closely with his wife Beatrice for many years. Both were members of the British Labour Party and supporters of the Soviet Union. They wrote several books together, including The History of Trade Unionism.
Members
Reviews
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Statistics
- Works
- 54
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 207
- Popularity
- #106,920
- Rating
- 3.3
- Reviews
- 1
- ISBNs
- 51
- Languages
- 1